Letter drop



Jan. 8, 1924. 1,480,041

'r. N. BADGER LETTER DROP Filed Nov. 1, 1922 6' I r 5 Q l: 7 I

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INVEN TOR. THOMAS M BADGER.

A TTORN Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNITE STTES THOMAS N. BADGER, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

LETTER DROP.

Application filed November 1, 1 922.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS N. BADGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berkeley, county of Alameda, and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in a Letter Drop, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a letter-drop and especially to that type which may be embodied in the outside wall structure of a dwelling.

The object of the present invention is to generally improve and simplify letter-drops of the character described; to provide a letter-drop which may be readily built in the outside wall structure of a dwelling, and which will permit letters to be passed directly through the wall and deposited on a shelf or the like in a hall-way; a letter-drop which will exclude rain and weather and prevent dampening or wetting of the letters, and further to provide means whereby the deliver of mail will be audibly announced. ther objects will hereinafter appear.

One form which my invention may assume is exemplified in the following descri tion and illustrated in the accompanying rawings, in which- Fig. l is a front view of the letter-drop viewed from the exterior of a dwelling.

Fig. 2 is a central, vertical, longitudinal section through the letter-drop showing its position in a wall structure.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A indicates in general the outside wall of a building, 2 the studding in the wall structure, 3 the sheeting, and 4 the exterior plaster. Extending through the plaster and the sheeting and passing between the studs and the wall is a casing generally indicated at B. This casing is a letter-drop through which the mail is inserted. It consists of side sections 5 and top and bottom sections 6 and 7, respectively. These sections may be constructed of metal or any other suitable material, and may be secured with relation to each other in any suitable manner. They form when assembled an elongated casing which is rectangular in shape. For the purpose of securing the casing, or in other words the letter-drop proper in the wall structure, a plurality of lugs such as shown at 8 and 9 is employed. The base portion of each lug is suitably secured to the respective top and bottom sectio-ns, while Serial No. 598,329.

the other side of each lug is perforated to receive screws or nails by which, they are secured to the sheeting indicated at 3. The exterior end of the letter-drop or casing is normally closed by a door generally indicated at C. This door is hingedly secured to the bottom section as shown at 9 and the hinged portions are surrounded by springs which normally maintain the door in a vertical position. The lower end of the door is extended a suitable distance below the bottom section as shown at 10 to exclude wind and weather, and it is also provided with a downwardly extending handle section 11 whereby the door may be easily opened when mail is to be inserted.

For the purpose of adding an artistic appearance to the exterior end of the letterdrop, a frame is employed which consists of the top section 11* and side sections 12 and 13. This frame, besides adding an ornamental effect, serves two other functions, first that of a stop which limits the outward movement of the door during the closing operation, and secondly that of a sounding member which will audibly announce the delivery of mail; that'is the top and side sections of the ornamental frame are extended inwardly a sufiicient distance to form top and side shoulders with which the door engages when it swings upwardly to closed position, and this surface is also employed as a sounder as the door when quickly released swings upwardly with a snap, producing a sound which is distinctly audible.

By referring to Fig. 2 of the drawing it will 'be noted that the top and bottom sections of the casing are parallel, and that they assume a slight upward angle. This is important as it positively prevents entrance of rain or moisture, that is if a driving wind or rain should betaking place and the exterior end of the letter-drop should be exposed, it is possible that a small amount of water might enter between the ends of the door and the frame, such water would instantly drain outwardly again as it would leak out through the joint formed between the lower end of the door and the bottom of the casing, this being entirely due to the upward slope of the same.

For the purpose of reducing the length of the casing, particularly where fairly thick or heavy wall structures are encountered a recess such as shown at D is preferably formed in the inner surface of the wall. This recess may be wood lined as shown or otherwise constructed. Theyinner end of 'the casing terminates 'in a rectangular shaped opening formed in the inner wall of the recess as shown at 15, and anymail inserted will thus;

drop into the recess and will remain there if it is sufficiently large. if the recess is too shallow to retain mail, a shelf may be placed below the sameasindicated at 16. Agaim it is obvious that mail may be de livered' to a table orit may be permitted to dr'opdireetlyto the fioorif desired.

ll-n actual operation the maihnan when inserting the mail merely lifts outwardly andupwardly on the handle 11. This forces the door downwardly against the bottom section 7', where it assumes the dotted line po sitionshown at 17. The mail is then in? "seifted and forced through the letter-drop so'that it is either deposited in the recess D or on'the shelf 16. The mailman after the last letter has been inserted quickly releases thehandle section 11 and as the tension of the spring 9 is considerable, it is obvious'that the door will swing upwardly with such rapid movement asto produce a distinct snap or bang which will readily be audible to the occupants or the dwelling. This sound being distinct and suiiiciently loud for the purpose desired and cannot be confused with adoor bell as the sound produced is entirely difierent.

The letter-drop here shown is simple and compact in construction and may be built right in the wall of a home in such a manner as to be absolutely concealed from view as it extends directly through the wall structure. The mail is delivered from the outside and is received in the room or hallway desired. It will not be necessary to go outside to obtain the mail as is the case with ordinary mail boxes, and it is practically speaking burglar-proof as no wire or hook thieves can steal the mail due to the "fact that the letters drop below the inner end of the mail drop when delivered. Furthermore no one can examine the mail and see with whom correspondence is maintained.

If away from home for a day or a week, the mailis safe within the house upon return. There is no necessity of looking for a lost or a misplaced key as no key is required. The device forms a permanent addition to any home as it is built directly in the wall and as it is both leak and windproof, it is obvious that the mail cannot be damaged in any manner. It furthermore has an additional advantage, to-wit, that of audibly announcing the delivery of mail and as such meets every requirement desired.

While certain features o1 the present in vention are more or less specifically illustrated, I wish it understood that various changes in form and proportion may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims, similarly that the materials and linish of the several parts employed may be such as the experience and judgment of the manufacturer may dictate or various uses ma demand.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-- i 1. The combination with the outer wall structure of a dwelling, or a letter-drop extending therethrough, said letter-drop comprising connected side, top and bottom sections, forming an elongated casing rectangular shapedin cross section, means on said casing securing the casing to the wall structure and maintaining the casing in an angular position where'thebottom and top sec tions assume an upward incline, a door hingedly secured to the/bottom section and at the outer end thereof, a portion of the door projecting exterior of the bottom section and below the same, a frame formed integral withthe exterior end of the casing and forming an ornamental finish forthe exterior end, said frame overlapping the top and ends of the door and also forming a stop exterior of the door and a sounding member, and a spring engageable with the door to normally hold it in a vertical closed position.

2. The combination with the outer wall structure of a dwelling, of a letter-drop extending therethrough, said letter-drop comprising connected side, top and bottom sections, forming an elongated casing rectangular shaped in cross section, means on said casingsecuring the casing to the wall structure and maintaining the casing in an angularposition where the bottom and top sections assume an upward incline, a door hingedly secured to the bottom section and at the outer end thereof, a portion of the door projecting exterior oit' the bottom section and below the same, a frame formed integral with the exterior end of thev casing and forming an ornamental finish for. the exterior end, said frame ove'rlappingthe top and ends of the door and also forming a stop exterior of the door and a sounding member, a spring engageable with the door to normally hold it in a vertical closed position, and a handle on the lower end of the door to open .and release. the same.

' THOMAS'N; BADGER. 

